BMW will have you know that the death of internal combustion engines has been greatly exaggerated. While many automakers hurried to set end dates for ICE, the Munich-based company has consistently argued that the gas engine’s demise should not be accelerated. The German luxury brand’s performance division is also sticking to its pledge to keep cylinders and pistons around for the long haul.
In an interview with CarSales, M CEO Frank van Meel pledged that the inline-six and V8 engines are safe. Both the S58 and S68 will stick around for as long as people keep buying them. As things stand, demand remains high for the two powertrains, which will continue in future M models. For example, the next M3 (G84) will feature an updated 3.0-liter mill that may very well adopt mild-hybrid technology. Additionally, the future X5 M and X6 M will use the larger 4.4-liter unit.
“[BMW has] a long tradition in six-cylinder inline engines, which makes them more or less iconic for us, and also with the V8 engines. We are planning to continue this because we have a big community worldwide, and also a lot of people that are maybe not ready yet or live in environments where it’s really difficult to charge the electric cars. As long there is demand from the markets, which currently there is a lot, we will keep it up.”
The B58 engine will also continue to power M Performance cars, including the M340i replacement. As a refresher, the new 3 Series (G50) arrives later this year. We’ve heard it will spawn an M350 with more power than its predecessor. Hopefully, BMW will build another 3 Series Touring and give it the M Lite treatment. The current long-roof M340i is arguably one of the best all-rounders in the lineup.
While Frank van Meel’s statement is certainly good news, Europeans are getting the short end of the ICE stick. Because of stricter emissions regulations, the V8 powering the M5 is losing 41 horsepower, dropping from 577 to 536 hp. BMW is offsetting the difference by boosting the electric motor, resulting in the same combined output as before. M is also detuning the XM’s gas engine, but it compensates by boosting the electric motor, keeping total system output unchanged.
The horsepower deficit from the 4.4-liter engine could spread to other regions outside of the continent that follow EU regulations. Logic suggests the highly probable mild-hybrid M3 is happening for the same reason: Euro 7 compliance.
On the bright side, we’ve asked BMW USA and received confirmation that the M5 and XM are soldiering on unchanged. Emissions regulations are more relaxed in North America, allowing the company to continue selling its high-performance models in their current form for the foreseeable future.
First published by https://bit.ly/3sM6JoH
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